Street indicator



April l2, 1932.

W. R. BANKSON STREET INDICATOR Filed June 24, 1931 Patented Apr. 12, 1932 g rssasii Unirse stares PATENT' ois-ries WLLIAIv/i R. BANKSON, F PITTSBURGH, PENNSYLVANIA STREET INDICATOR Appneanon meaA JuneA 24,l

My invention relates vto an indicating de# vice, and while primarily designed for indicating the street stops on street railwayv routes, it will be obvious that the device' may be successfully employed for variousr lother purposes wherein it is found to be applicable. Important'objects of the invention are to provide Van indicator of the characterde-v scribed which will visibly indicate to a pas-V senger, the streetvbeing next approached by the street car; which is conveniently operable Y,

' proceeds, the invention resides' in the combination and arrangementof parts and in the details of construction hereinafter described and claimed, it being understood that changes inthe precise embodiment of the invention hereinafter disclosed can belmade within -the scope of what is claimed without departing v from the spirit of the invention. i A y In the drawing wherein like numerals .of reference vdesignate corresponding parts, the figure is a side elevational view of Va street indicator with the door in thel open position,

and constructed in accordance with lthe invention.

ReferringA in detail to the drawingrl de# notes an oblong, rectangularly shaped casing,

including a front side door 2, which is hinged,

as at3, and securable in the closed position by a suitable latching element 4. rlvhe door 2 Veach other.

is provided with a rectangularly shaped,v

horizontally extending, transparentl glass panel 5, and a similarly shaped transparent glass panel 6 is mounted in the rear wallY 7 of the casing' 1.V The glass panels-45 andv extend parallel andare directlyopposedY to 1931. Serial No. 546,496.

A pair of flanged spools, respectively in-Vv dicated at 8 and 9, are mounted in the casing 1, and extend horizontally parallel to each other, with the former disposed above the latter.f Each of the spoolsS and 9 is carried by a pair of supporting shafts 10 and 11, which are disposed at respective ends thereof and ournaled for rotation in respective bears ings 12 and 13. IThe latterare fixed in posi, tion to the casing rear wall 7.

vEach of the supporting shafts 10 is alsoV longitudinally shiftable in its bearing 12, and is formed with a flanged outer end 14:, which engages the bearing 12 and limitsk the shiftable movement of the shafts lO in the inv ward direction.

y Each of the supporting shafts 10 is further 'f in their inward engagingpositions in the associated bearings 12.

The supporting shafts 10 and 11 are providedV with attened inner ends 18, which engage in correspondingly shaped pockets 19, formedin, both ends of each of the vspools 8. and 9, and effects the rotation of the latter with the supporting shafts 11 and 12.

In mounting either of the spools 8 and 9 on Vits supporting shafts 1U and 11,' the pocket 19, at one end thereof is first `positioned to `engage the flattened inner end 18 of Vits shaft 10. The latter is then Vforced outwardly in its bearing 12 against thev ac-V tion of the spring 17; The picket 19'at the other end of the said spool may now be po-v sitionedto'engage the inner flattened end eration by the associated supportingfshafts tends to maintain the supporting shafts 10 and 11. The spring rod 15 will not interfere with the outward movement of the shafts 10, in the manner and for the purpose stated, as the shaft apertures 14 are of suflicient depth to compensate therefor.

A. signal strip 20, constructed from paper, cloth or any other suitable strip material, is mounted on the spools 8 and 9. The signal strip is provided, on both sides, with the proper street designations 21, which extend transversely across the former at properly spaced intervals. The street designations 21 on one side of the signal strip 20 are identical to and positioned similarly to the street designa-tions 21 on the other side of the signal strip 20, so that corresponding signal designations 21 are displayed simultaneously from the front and rear of the indicator.

The registering street designation 21, on the front side of the signal strip 20, would be visible through the glass panel 5 in the door 2, and the same street designation 21 on the rear side of the signal strip 20would likewise be visible through the glass panel 6 mounted in the casing rear wall 7. i

Each of the supporting shafts 10 carries a fixed small gear 22, which is constantly in mesh with a large gear 23, except when mounting or removing a spool in the manner stated; The large gear 23 is fixed to the inner end of a shaft 24, which` is journaled for rotation in a suitable bearing 25 fixed to the adjacent end wall of the casing 1. The shafts 24 are formed with projecting squared ends 26 adapted for the engagement of a suitable turning handle. Y

The manual operation of the gcars-22 and 23 permits of the expeditious winding of the signal strip 2 from one spool to the other f if required. The constant engagement of theassociated gears 22. and 23, in conjunction with the action ofthe spring 17, further provides a retardant action preventingthe location ofv the spools 8 and 9 from momentum, and maintains the signal strip in a taut condition on and intermediate of the spools 8 and 9, during the operation of the device as hereinafter described.

The spools 8 and 9 are preferably operated by a hand-wound spring motor 27 of any suitable'construction. The motor 27 includes a motor. shaft 28, which carries a pair of small opposed bevelgears 29 and 30 fixedly connectedfby a sleeve 31. The lat-ter rotates with but is longitudinally shiftable on the motor shaft 28 to bring either'of the small bevel gears 29 and 30 into mesh with the bevel gear 32 of the spring motor 27 to-rot-ate the motor shaft 28 in either direction.

A driving gear 33 iskeyed to but longitudinally shiftable on the inner end of the motor shaft 28, to engage either the gear 34 fixed on the'shaft 11 of the spool 8, orV

the gear 35 iixed on the shaft 11 of the spool 9.

The gear 34 is disposed inwardly of the driving gear 33, and the gear 35 is disposed outwardly of the latter. hen the driving gear 33 is shifted inwardly to engage the spool gear 34, the spool 8 will be driven to wind the signal strip 20 thereon from the spool 9. When the driving gear 33 is shifted outwardly to mesh with the spool gear 35, the spool 9 will be driven to wind the signal strip 2O thereon from the other spool 8.

Eachof the spool gears 34 and 35 is pro vided with an annular iange 36 to limit the movement of the driving gear 33 when shifted into engagement therewith. As shown in the drawing, the driving gear 33 may be shifted to a neutral position intermediate of the spool gears 34V and 35. Such neutral position is necessitated to permit of the manual winding of the signal strip 2O from one spool tothe other when required, and in the manner hereinbeforc described.

. A solenoid 37 is suspended from the top wall of the casing` 1, and when energized elevates the free end of an armature bar 38. The latter is pivotally connected at one end. as at 39, to the top of the spring motor 27. The free end of the armature bar 38 carries a depending stop pin 40, which extends through a fixed apertured bracket 4l.

A stop leg 42 is fixed to the motori` shaft 28 for engaging the stop pin 40 to suspend the further operation of the spring motor` 27. When the solenoid 37 is energized the free end of the armature bar 38 will be elevated causingthe disengagement of the stoppin 40 from the stop leg 42-and allowing the operation of the spring motor 27.

However, when the solenoid 37 is fle-energized the free end of the armature har 38 will drop by gravity. causing the lowering of the stop pin 40, into the path of travel of the stop legv42, to engage the latter and suspend further operation of the spring motor 27 L The operation of the solenoid 37 is controlled by any suitable control switch element (not shown) operated by the operators of the street car.

In practice, my improved street indicator is preferably disposed transversely near the top center of the street car, so that the street ing that the signal strip 2O is completely' wound upon the lower spool 9, the free end of the former is connected to the upper spool 8, and the motor gear connections are shifted to drive the upper spool 8 in theclockwise direction. v

Upon approaching the first stop on the car route, the operator will manipulate-the Vcontrol to momentarily energizethe solenoid 37. The operation of the' latter will cause the release of the stop leg42 and allow only one complete turn of the motorjshaft 28 as the stop pin LO will have dropped-by gravity to engage the stop leg 42 as soon as the solenoid 37 is de-energized. The operation of the motor 27 will have caused-the rotation of the spool l8, whereby the-attached signal strip 20 winds upon the latter from the spool 9 a distance to position the proper designation 21 in registration with the glass panels and 6.

,As soon as the carleaves one stop the operator manipulates the Vcontrol to'momenta'rily energize the solenoid37 to cause the display of the street designationwof the'ne'Xt vcar stop.

If-the operator inadvertently fails to operateV the indicator, in the manner stated, it will only be necessary for him to intermittently operate thesolenoid 37 until the proper display of street designated is effected. When the run of the route is completed, the driving gear V33 is shifted into the neutral position, and the signal strip 20 is rewound from the spool 8 to the spool 9 by the manual operation of the gears 22 and 23 associated with the latter. If a return trip of a car is made over the same route, driving gears are shifted to drive the spool 9 and wind the signal strip 20 on the latter from the spool 8. If time permits, the motor 27 may be operated to rewind the signal strip 20, from one spool to the other, instead of using the gears 22 and 28, but such operation is rather slow and necessitates the frequent rewinding of the spring motor 27.

Ordinarily, the street designations 21 on the signal strip 20, will be so spaced relatively to each other, as to compensate for the constantly varying diameters of the spools 8 and 9 during the winding and unwinding of the signal strip 20, for positioning` the street designations 21 in proper registration with the glass panels and 6.

If the signal strips` are of no O'reat length, the differential positioning of: the designations 21, dueV to such diametrical variations, would be barely perceptible.

= length.

The present invention provides a most efficient street indicator, being conveniently operable to uniform passengers of the streets in the sequence in which they are approached on the route of the conveyance, thereby entirely eliminating the inconvenience occa-` sioned by the travel of passengers past their intended destination, Y j j v l v What I claim is:

V 1. A street indicator of the character Vde- It will, of course, be obvious that by providingV scribed comprising in combination, a casing Vprovided with a pair of opposed transparent ignations fon both sides thereofmounted on said pair of spools, manually operatedmeans Y operatively connected with the shiftable shaft of each of said spools for winding said signal strip from one ofsaid spools-'to the other of said spools, a spring engaging each of said shiftable shafts for retarldingthe rotationof respective spools and further for n'orma-lly maintaining said shiftable shafts lin engagement with respective spools, Vsupports for said springs, an operating motor including an Yoperating shaft mounted in said casing, a spool gear fixed on each of saiddrive shafts, a drive gear mounted on said operating shaft 'and shiftable on the latter to engage either of said spool gearsv for driving said spcolsto shift said signalstrip on the latter, a stop leg fixed to said operating shaft, and electro-magnetically operated means engaging Asaid stop legsfor controlling-the/operation of'said operating motor when operating] said spools in shifting said signal. strip to positon said street designations in registration with said transparent panels. f 1 2. A street indicator of the character de'- `scribed comprising in combination, a casing provided with apair of opposed transparent loo panels, a pair of spools mounted in saidV casi ing and extending horizontally parallel to each other,a drive shaft detachably supportying endV of each `of Vsaid spools', a longitudinally shiftable shaft detachably supporting the other end ofeach of said spools, said: Y

shafts being rotatably-journaled in said casing', a signal strip provided vwith street desig-,

said pair of spools, manually operated -means nations on both sides thereofV mounted on operatively 'connected' with the shiftable shaft of each of said spools for windingsaid signal strip from one of said spools to the other'ofisaid spools, a'spring engaging each of "said shiftable shafts for-retarding the rotation of respective spools and further for normally maintaining said shiftableshafts (in engagement with respective spools, supports for said springs, an operating motor includinganoperating shaft mounted in said casing, a ,spool gearfixed on eachof said V ldriveshafts, a drive gear mounted Vonvsaid operating shaft and shiftable on the latter to engage either of said spoolgears for drivin g said spools to shift said signal strip on the latter, flanges 'carriedby said spool gearsrfor limiting the engagement movement of ythe said drive gear with latter, a stopleg fixed I tol-said operating shaft, and electroniagneti--` street designations in registration With said transparent panels.

3. A street indicator of the character described comprising in combination, a casing provided with a pair of opposed transparent panels, a pair of spools removably mounted in said casing and extending horizontally parallel to each other, a drive shaft detachably supporting one end of each of said spools, a longitudinally shiftable shaft detachably supporting the other end of each of said spools, said shafts being rotatably journaled in said casing, a signal strip provided With street designations on both sides theren of mounted on said pair of spools, manually operated means operatively connected With the shiftable shaft of each of said spools for Winding said signal strip from one of `said spools'to the other of said spools, a spring engaging each of said shiftable shafts for retarding the rotation of respective spools and further for normally maintaining said shiftable shafts in engagement with respective spools, supports for said springs, an operating motor including` an operating shaft mounted in said casing, a spool gear fixed on each of saiddrive shafts, a drive gear mounted on said operating shaft and shiftable on the latter to engage either of said spool `gears for driving said spools to shift said signal strip on the latter, a stop leg fixed to said oserating shaft, and electro-magnetically operated means engaging said stop leg for controlling the operation of said operating motor when operating said sp-ools in shifting said signal strip to position said street desi gf nations in registration With said-transparent panels.

4. A street indicator of the character described comprising in combination, a casing provided With a pair of opposed transparent panels, a pair of spools removably mounted in said casing` and extending horizontally parallel to each other, a drive shaft detachY ably supporting one end of each of said spools` a longitudinally shiftable shaft detachably supporting the other end of each of said spools, said shafts being rotatably journaled in said casing, a signal strip provided With street designations on both sides thereof mounted on said pair of spools, manually operated means operatively connected with the shiftable shaft of each of said spools for Winding said signal strip from one of said spools to the other of said spools, a spring engaging each of said shiftable shafts for retarding the rotation of respective sp-ools and further for normally maintaining said shiftable shafts in engagement With respective spools, supports for said springs, an operating motor including an operating shaft mounted in said casing, a spool gear fixed on each of said drive shafts, a drive gear mounted on said operatingshaft and shiftable on the latter to engage either of said spool gears for driving said spools to shift said signal strip on the latter, flanges carried by said spool gears for limiting the engagement movement of the said drive gear with the latter, a stop leg fixed to said operating shaft, and electro-magnetically operated means engaging said stop leg for controlling the operation of said operating motor When operating said spools in shifting said signal strip to position said street designations in regis tration With said transparent panels.

In testimony whereof Ifafiix my signature.

WILLIAM R. BANKSON. 

